The present invention relates to air bags, inflators for air bags and diffusers that distribute inflation gas to one or more parts of an air bag.
An inflator by itself or the combination of an inflator and a diffuser is used to provide inflation gas to an air bag. The air bag may include one or more separate or connected chambers. In order to distribute inflation gas directly to these various chambers, the diffuser having a single input and multiple outlets has been used. Such diffusers have been used in seat-mounted, side impact air bag systems, as well as curtain air bag systems. Prior diffusers have been made of cast or machined metal and are often relatively expensive components. The prior art also shows the use of diffusers having a general Y-shape. Those portions of the diffuser forming the outlet passages or outlet ports extend significantly beyond a longitudinal axis of the inflator and create difficulties in packaging curtain module systems within the roof rail of certain vehicles.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the difficulties of the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a plastic Y-shaped diffuser having a narrow profile. A further object of the present invention is to provide a Y-shaped diffuser configured to be molded by a tool where the outlet passages can be formed utilizing linear slides within the molding tool, thereby making it easier to manufacture a part of lower cost, as well as yielding a manufacturing (molding) tool of lower cost.
More specifically the invention comprises: a diffuser for use in an air bag system, the diffuser comprising: a body configured to be connected about an exit port of an air bag inflator to receive gas from the inflator, the body including an outer wall; and a first gas distribution outlet formed as an integral extension of the body and configured to deliver gas from the connector part to a first portion of the air bag; the first gas distribution outlet including a first side wall with a first passage therethrough, the first side wall being contiguous with the outer wall of the body, the first side wall at one end thereof intersecting the body, the first passage having an effective first area; the first side wall, at an end opposite the end that intersects the body, terminates at a distal end configured to be connected to the air bag, the intersection of the first side wall with the outer wall of the body, a first opening communicating the connector part and the first passage; the body including a second gas distribution outlet including a second side wall with a second passage therethrough, a distal end connectable to the air bag; the second side wall intersecting the first side wall at a location generally opposite the location where the first side wall intersected the outer side of the body forming a second opening communicating the first passage with the second passage.